Sisters
by Sarahbeth Lazic - Author
Summary: Mackenzie thought she was in heaven, relaxing and enjoying the English countryside while visiting her sister, Beth. She didn't expect to meet a dark stranger and fall instantly in love with him. He is Harpy Valentine, lieutenant to Wyvern Rhadamanthys, and one of the deadliest Specters to live. Unbeknownst to either, they are Starmates and fated to be together. (Lemons M)
1. Heaven

Sisters

Sisters

~ A Saint Seiya Fanfiction~

Featuring: Harpy Valentine / OC & Wyvern Rhadamanthys / OC

(Warning: Language and Adult Situations throughout story)

I

"**T**his place is amazing."

To that dreamy and delicate sigh, Lord Wyvern Rhadamanthys raised his golden eyes from the paper he had been reading to gaze at the young woman who slowly slid into the large wicker chair next to him. He arched a slender brow as he watched his wife's younger sister mew happily in the warm afternoon rays of the sun, a rarity at this time of year in the English countryside.

He muttered a 'thank you' as he returned his attention to the local paper.

Mackenzie sighed as she tipped her features into the warm rays, and every muscle in her body instantly relaxed after being tight and strained for the last twenty-four hours. Or was it twenty-six? After a cool shower the young American was in heaven after being stuck in airports and on airplanes for so long. It'd been a long time since she had traveled overseas and had forgot how tiring the venture could be. But the flights and the hassle of airport security was over and done with for now, allowing her to simply melting into complete serenity.

Complete serenity would be easily obtained when she was surrounded by acres upon acres of prestigious and ancient land in the English countryside. In fact, the moment she stepped off the airplane at Heathrow International airport Mackenzie felt every inch and every ounce of her stress slip away. The drive from the airport to the manor-house outside Shrewsbury had been a peaceful and quaint drive through the back roads of the country.

At her arrival upon the magnificent property, Kenzie nearly fell over at the abundant beauty that embraced her. From the driveway she could see a heard of deer grazing, the walled maze, one of many gardens and the two restored stables and farming garage. The air was crisp and filled with a sweet mixture of fragrant flowers drifting upon the country breeze from over the gardens. She almost toppled over at the sheer volume of peace, that is, if her sister had not thrown a pebble at her.

Mackenzie thought she had died and gone to heaven when Beth had shown her to her room. Well, room was an understatement. Museum was more like it. Beth had explained to her that this particular room had been added on to the original home about two hundred years ago during some minor renovation. She laughed when Mackenzie asked if she could touch the furniture or if some alarm would go off. When told that she could, Kenzie strolled right up to the beautiful poster-bed of rosewood, draped with fine crimson velvet, only to fall fast first upon the soft bed and to be enveloped by the fluffy comforter that nearly sucked her right inside.

She didn't reply in words when Beth told her that lunch would be ready in a little while, only in a raised a hand giving a thumbs up. After an hour passed by with the help of a quick nap, Mackenzie dragged her tired body into the bathroom where she squealed at the sight of a claw-tub, deep, long and calling her name. If her stomach had not grumbled, she would have filled the tub and disappeared beneath the hot water. But alas, her tummy was wanting to be fed, and food at this moment wasn't a bad idea. Later, she promised the bathtub, she would enjoy a long soak.

Once changed in a fresh change of clothes, she wandered about the magnificent house. She found her sister in the impressive kitchen, a mixture of the original design with modern conveniences, preparing their lunch. Beth told her that she could sit outside on the veranda with Wyvern till lunch was ready. No need to give her the invite twice, Kenzie pranced her way outside then plopped herself into a chair.

After a moment of silenced pasted between the two, Mackenzie chuckled and slowly turned her head, glancing to her sister's husband. "Thank you for allowing me to visit you and Beth."

The handsome Englishman gave a silent nod of his head.

He wasn't one for a lot of talk, Rhadamanthys. Kenzie thought her sister had been kidding when she said that the man was the strong silent type, but this was her third time to be around him and the guy had hardly spoken ten full sentences since she met up with the couple outside of the customs exit at Heathrow. Oddly enough, she took his silence as a nice reprieve compared to the young men she was surrounded by at her University. Those guys couldn't hold a decent conversation, let alone their tongues!

But Rhadamanthys wasn't the typical guy. Kenzie knew that from the first day she met him. Her inner female intuition told her that he was something unique. There was something down right creepy about him, but in a good way. She'd never felt so safe and calm around any other man than with Rhadamanthys. When Beth swore to her that he would never hurt either of them and would protect them to hell and back, she knew that her sister was telling her the truth.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Soft, pale brown eyes drifted open and Kenzie tipped her head back when she heard her sister's voice. Beth came walking from the solarium doors and onto the stone patio. "Hello, mah sistah," Kenzie mewed with a playful wink and a wiggle of fingers. "What brings you out to this beautiful deck?"

Beth smirked to her sister and even bopped her on the head as she came to lean against the back of the chair. "I have come out here to make sure you haven't run my hubby into the ground, and,' she snickered, glancing to Rhadamanthys to see a tiny grin pulling his lips, 'to let you both know that lunch is ready. Would you like to eat inside in my fancy kitchen or should I have the butler bring your lunches to you?"

Kenzie batted her eyes. "Would you? That would be so wonderful of you," she teased with a fake English accent to her words.

Beth swatted her again.

"Ow…' Kenzie muttered, ducking then gaping at Rhadamanthys. "Did you see that? Your wife hit me. That's sister abuse."

"Indeed it is," he commented with a slight chuckle as he turned the page of his paper.

"That's it?" the young American asked with a groan to her voice. She leaned back towards her sister, whispering softly and playfully without removing her eyes from the man, "I think your hubby's being mean to me."

"More than likely." Beth nodded.

Rhadamanthys smirked.

"Come on you two, inside or out?"

Mackenzie sighed dramatically as she raised her arms and legs and kicked ever so slightly. "They is broken," she said pitifully, childishly.

"No they aren't. You skipped your ass on out here so you can skip your ass back on in the house." Beth pointed behind her.

Kenzie whined, "Yes dey is…"

Beth shrugged her shoulders. She knew how to play back to her sister's baby talk and pouty lips. Stepping to her husband, Beth bent to kiss the top of his short, disheveled golden-blonde hair. Without a look to her sister she began to walk back into the house. "I'll just put your portion of chicken pot pie back in the fridge."

Mackenzie twisted about in her chair, looking to her sister's departing back with widening eyes. She then cast a quick glance to Rhadamanthys. "Did she say…"

"I believe she did."

Whimpering, Kenzie shifted to her knees so she could peek over the back of the chair so she could watch Beth's form disappearing further into the belly of the massive house. Fidgeting, Kenzie nibbled her lower lip.

Eyes moved in slender sockets as the Specter's attention was drawn to Kenzie's delicate whimpers. Seeing her in that childish position almost drew a slight chuckle from him - almost. He blew out a deep sigh while turning the next page of his paper. "Go on,' he said in his smooth, accented and vibrating tone of voice, 'you know you want some."

Kenzie whimpered again like a woman gone cold turkey off of chocolate.

"It's your grandmother's recipe."

SOLD!

Kenzie was off her chair in a second and dashing into the house while crying out, "Wait for me, Beth! Don't you dare touch that pie! It's mine! Mine I say!"

Rhadamanthys chuckled an honestly amused chuckle and took one more glance to the paper before he closed it, folded it and set it to the glass topped, wicker table between the two chairs. He rose from his chair with a motion of slow precision then stretched his arms of taut muscle up over his head.

"Give me that pie, woman!"

"Kenzie! Get your hands off that pie or I'll bite your fingers off!"

"But I'm hungry! And you're responsible for feeding me!"

"I'll get you some dog kibble!"

Rhadamanthys groaned as he ran a set of deadly fingers through his hair. This was going to be one very interesting visitation. With a sly grin to his features he turned, strolling casually into his home.

Two Days Later:

"I don't want to ever leave here," Mackenzie mewed happily as she leaned forwards to drape herself over the thick neck of the chestnut Welsh cob she was riding. The horse continued his slow and easy walk while his rider seemed to slip into a nap. "Can I move in with you? I could find a university around here to go to and the house is so big I'd be like a widdle mouse scampering around after my cheese. You and Rhadamanthys wouldn't know I was around."

"Till you start gnawing on the walls."

Kenzie nuzzled her cheek to the gelding's soft mane.

Beth rolled her eyes then raised her arms up and over her head in a deep stretch before she leaned back and lay back upon the thick haunches of her piebald highland draft. Scottie didn't seem to mind what his owner was doing and just continued his lazy stroll. The two sisters had taken two of the sweetest horses from the stables for a lazy afternoon ride about the property, enjoying some time wandering through the wildlife sanctuary on the eastern edge of the property

"You'd have to convince him to let you stay. He's very partial to his privacy."

Kenzie snorted as a devious smile took her lips. "I'm an adorable baby panda, he can't resist this endangered species!"

"You'd be surprised how cuteness doesn't affect that man one bit. Seriously,' Beth looked to her sister, 'we were in London a few weeks ago and saw this adorable little girl in this little summer jumper of pink and he didn't even bat an eye. Cuteness doesn't faze him. The only thing that man thinks is cute is me in my little pink and yellow polka-dot bikini."

"It is an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, cutie pootie, polka-dot bikini."

The two laughed as they headed back to the stables as the hours of the day grew late. Rhadamanthys would be expecting them by supper. He had left early in the morning, claiming to be called into the 'office' and would be expecting the two back when he returned. Mackenzie truly thought he was going into his office to do whatever it was he claimed to do, but little did she know, and would never know, that Rhadamanthys' office was in the Underworld and his job was to be one of the three Judges of Hell. Beth had a feeling that if she told her little sister just what her wealthy and hot as hell noble English husband really did, Kenzie would never believe anything she would say ever again.

Then again, she doubted Kenzie ever gave up believing in Santa Clause.

While patting the beautiful gelding's soft pelt, Kenzie eyed her sister. "How'd you get so lucky? I know I keep asking that, but I still can't wrap my head around it."

Beth sighed softly as she stared up to the fluffy clouds that drifted through the bright, blue sky. In the deep summer there were days when the sun would stream down from the Heavens above without the threat of rain. She shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes I wonder that too. Then again, why should I question my reality? If I spent more time questioning what has happened, I'd be missing what was happening right before me."

"I guess that makes sense. But hell,' Kenzie pouted, 'that man of yours is gorgeous. I've never seen a guy that seems to have it all, and I mean it, all of it. He's got the looks, the personality, money, the title, the body and the house."

"Hey now," Beth chuckled with a soft warning to her sister.  
>"Don't bring my man's body in to this conversation."<p>

"Why not? He's smoking hot. Does he have muscles under his clothes? The guy has to be packing a six pack. Tell me!"

Beth snorted, rolling her eyes, and she reached out in an attempt to swat her sister, yet the distance between the two horses prevented a decent strike. "You're so incorrigible."

"You're fault." Kenzie stuck her tongue out.

"True, that is very true." Arching her body forwards, Beth eyed her sister as she slowly gathered up the reins.

Kenzie caught the movement of her sister and sat straight as well. The two locked eyes as they prepared themselves for the run they both were feeling.

"How about a race back to the stables? It's not too far away. You up for it, squirt?"

"Pfftt…" Kenzie rolled her eyes then slowly leaned forwards whispering to the Welsh cob. "I think my sister thinks we can't beat us. What do you think, Rascal? Can we kick her ass and that overweight goat she's riding?"

Rascal tossed his head. The gelding's gentle stroll slipped right in to an eager trot.

Beth laughed seeing her sister and her ride marching on forwards. "Did you hear what she called you, Scottie? She called you an overweight goat! Let's prove them wrong!" With a quick kick to the gelding's sides and a sharp whistle, Beth urged Scottie in to a powerful gallop.

Laughter rang out over the estate as the two raced their way back to the main stables. The sounds of the two heavy horses' heavy strides upon the soft dirt pounded through their veins, and hot blood flowed wild within the women as they raced across the ground.

Just as the two came over a small knoll at the edge of the long drive, Beth caught a form waiting at the front of the house. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to get a better look at the individual leaning to the wall of front steps. She pulled Scottie to a trot, redirecting him in the direction of the manner.

Mackenzie was still laughing as her sister turned away, and only after a quick glance behind did she notice that the race had been called off. "Beth?" she called, whirling Rascal around as the gelding slowed to a trot. She urged her horse towards Beth, then called out, "Beth? Where are you going?"

"There's somebody at the house," replied Beth as she pointed towards the home.

"Who is it? Do you know?"

"I can't tell from this distance." Beth clicked Scottie in to a trot. "Let's go find out!"

They rode back to the house along the cobble drive, and as they got closer and closer to the impressive manor house, Beth soon came to realize just who was waiting at the front steps. "What's he doing here?" she asked out loud.

Kenzie looked from the house to her sister then back again. "Do you know that guy?"

"Yes. He's an associate to my husband." Another click of her tongue urged Scottie in to a canter. When the two finally rode up to the front of the house, Beth smiled, waved and called out to the man, "Valentine!"

From his casual, and rather bored, lean against the stone wall of the front steps, Harpy Valentine raised his pale brown eyes at the call of his name. He tipped his head to the sight of Beth, Wyvern Rhadamanthys' Starmate, and another young woman riding up the drive upon two horses. He pushed from the wall, moving forwards to take a knee before his General's wife before he caught himself with eyes snapping to the unknown female. The Specter paused in his steps, changing his mind to greet the two with a polite nod of his head.

"My Lady," he said in his smooth, accented voice.

Mackenzie maneuvered Rascal next to her sister's horse, and from her position, she set her eyes upon one of the hottest guys she had ever seen. She eyed the man with a twisting of knots coiling tight and hot in her stomach, and her throat went instantly dry as her breath flittered within her lungs.

"You're here for my husband?" Beth asked, leaning to gently pet her mount's thick neck.

"Yes. However,' Valentine glanced back to the home then to the women once again, 'it seems the General is not at home."

General? My Lady? Kenzie arched a brow as she looked to her sister, though it was damn hard having to tear her eyes away from the strange man. Who couldn't look at him and not want to stare? He had hair that spiked up in thick strands of greyish-silver atop his head before falling in a streamline of strands down his back. He didn't to be much older than she was, yet the look his eyes appeared to have an aged gaze - the gaze of an old soul. His eyes were so pale that the brown disappeared beneath the silver lashes lining his slender eyes, and his flesh was pale, as if never kissed by the sun, and though he wore a pair of black jeans and a maroon sweater that fit snug upon his trim form, Kenzie swore that he probably had a body built like a God beneath his clothes.

"He's not here. He should be, ' Beth nipped her words right in the butt before she said something that Kenzie would question, 'home soon."

Valentine offered a nod of understanding. He slid his slender gaze from Beth to the young woman at her side and instantly, when their eyes met, he felt an explosion of heat flame throughout his body. Every muscle, every fiber of his being, his nerves and his psyche went on alert, not out of warning of a coming threat but of desire.

"You're welcome to stay and wait for him if you'd like," Beth went on to say with a smile towards the man she knew to be a Specter, but not just any specter, but one of a few who were so powerful and so deadly that Rhadamanthys had personally chosen him to be a his Lieutenant.

Beth's voice drew Valentine's gaze, and he inquired, "If it is not too much trouble?"

Beth smiled to him, and knowing how much he missed being in the mortal world she couldn't deny him the offer of remaining and waiting till Wyvern returned. "Not at all. You know the routine, help yourself to anything in the fridge and wait for Rhadamanthys in his study. He'll be back shortly."

A slight grin pulled upon Valentine's lips and he offered a polite nod of his head. "My thanks." He turned away, walking up the steps and into the house through the public entrance.

Waving her hand, Beth clicked of her tongue. "Come on, Kenzie, let's go cool these two down and let them rest."

Turning her horse as well, Mackenzie glanced back over her shoulder. The handsome man she now knew as simply Valentine was standing at the threshold of the door, watching her with his pale and intense eyes. She felt a shiver trail down her spine, so she quickly turned her eyes back to her sister. "Who is that?"

"Like I said, he's an associate of Rhadamanthys. His name is Valentine."

"Is he English?"

"No. He was born in Cyprus."

"Really? How'd he end up with that name?"

Beth shrugged her shoulders. "I've never asked."

Kenzie stole another glance back to the house. The man was gone. "He's an odd looking guy with that grey hair. He looks young."

"He's probably about your age." Beth smirked, looking to her sister with those all-knowing eyes. "Don't you even think about it, girl,' she teased with a slow shake of her head, 'may man would have Val's head if he even looked at you with an interested eye."

"Why? Is he not nice? Is he a convict?"

Beth laughed with an amused roll of her eyes. "Yes, Kenzie. He's a psychopathic killer whom I let watch my TV and drink my coffee. You booger."

"What?" Kenzie laughed back. "I've met some of your friends in the past. I wouldn't doubt it if that guy is some serial killer."

"You are one bizarre sister, you know that?"

Kenzie nodded and smiled a smile of pride. She even puffed out her chest. "Yes, yes I do."

After the horses had been cooled down, stalled and fed, Beth and Kenzie began their walk back to the house. A text to Beth's mobile indicated that Rhadamanthys had returned, and he and Valentine were in his study. He inquired where she and Mackenzie were, and she replied that they were coming in from the stables. The next texted asked her opinion on their supper. She wasn't quite sure, and returned a text letting him know she would figure that out after she made some tea.

Behind Beth, Kenzie dragged herself in a lumbering walk. She wasn't ready to return to the house just yet, but could deny that her butt was a little numb from the long day of riding. With the afternoon slowly coming to a close and evening cresting, she wanted to spend some more time outside before the air became too chilly. Beth suggested Kenzie take a little walk around the house. The last tour for the day would be starting within the hour, and in three hours the property would be closed for the evening. With the house registered on the British Historical Mark, guests would be coming and going till the front gates were closed. She told her sister not too be too long and that she would have some tea and scones ready in a short while.

With hands behind her back, and a little whistle upon lips, Kenzie walked around the large manner, sniffing a climbing rose here or one there. As she rounded the right bend of the house, she spied a line of tall windows along one side of the master study. Stepping closer, she could see two figures within the room, one leaning to a large desk and the other bent upon one knee.

How weird was that? Kenzie took a few steps closer and came to notice that Rhadamanthys was leaning to the desk with arms crossed to his chest, and the other knelt before him was Valentine with his head bowed. She couldn't hear what the two were discussing, but it seemed that neither was pleased.

Smirking, she crept forwards upon tiptoes till she was at the patio door. Pressing both palms flat to the glass, Kenzie pressed her open mouth and her nose to the glass, then puffed out her cheeks with her eyes crossing.

Inside the room, both men stopped speaking as they were drawn to the presence at the door. Valentine leapt to his feet, his body tensing to the intruder outside, but when Rhadamanthys put up a hand he eased back with a nod to him.

The Judge of Hell arched a blonde brow then smirked when he noticed Kenzie's playful expression. In truth, the tense news coming from Valentine required a momentary break for his mind to calm. With a chuckle, he motioned Mackenzie in with a curve of a finger.

Beth's sister slipped in through the door, smiling innocently.

"Can I help you?" the Specter inquired with the smirk playing upon his lips.

Kenzie laced her hands behind her back as she sauntered into the large study lined with antique book cases, fine furniture, a tall marble fire place and expensive looking 'knickknacks' that no doubt came from a high-end auction. "I was out for a walk and thought I would stop by and say hi."

"I see. And where is my wife?"

"She's gone off to the kitchen to make some tea and ponder what to do for supper. My bet, the fridge is open and she's just staring into it like a deer caught in headlights."

A deep chuckle rumbled through Wyvern's chest as he slowly shook his head. He knew what the girl was talking about. There were times he caught Beth staring blankly into the fridge, and when asked what she was doing, besides cooling the entire house, she replied that she couldn't figure out what to do for dinner so she was letting the food inspire her.

His wife could odd at times.

"So,' Kenzie mewed, tipping her body to the side so she could lock eyes with the silver-haired hottie named Valentine, 'you're Valentine."

Val looked as if he'd been hit. When he had noticed the girl entering the room was the same he saw with Beth, his tongue twisted instantly within his mouth, and a hot sensation of desire coiled within his stomach when she spoke his name in a playful purr.

Rhadamanthys arched a brow, looking to the other specter only to see Valentine staring blankly to Kenzie. What the hell was this? Not once had Val ever been silenced by a woman before. Wyvern narrowed his golden eyes as he saw a look within the pale brown orbs of Valentine that seemed oddly familiar. There was no doubt within his mind that right now Valentine was looking at Kenzie was the same way Wyvern had looked at Beth when he had first seen her.

"Mackenzie,' said the Judge of Hell, looking back to the girl, 'tell Beth that we can either go out for supper or we can order in." He jerked his head to the door heading into the house. "Go on now."

Frowning, the young American gave a nod of her head. "Oh, alright." She smiled to both, then left the study with a gentle click of the door behind her.

When she had departed, Rhadamanthys narrowed his eyes to Valentine who had followed Kenzie with his own gaze. "Valentine," he growled softly.

Val snapped his eyes to the General. "What?"

"That look in your eyes."

The pounding of Val's heart slowly began to ebb, and after a moment, he took a deep breath. He raised a hand. "I am here to speak business with you, my lord. That is all."

"Then our business if over. Tell Lady Pandora that I will do as she asks, in time." Pushing from the desk, he crossed the office only to pause as he opened the door. "Stay away from Mackenzie, do I make myself clear?"

A snarl bubbled from deep within Valentine's throat. Normally, he wouldn't care about some haughty piece of flesh that walked past him, but Mackenzie spurred something from within his psyche that he couldn't ignore. The order to avoid her coiled anger within him and the want to snap back to his General, yet he bit back his retort and controlled his tongue. Only when the heavy wooden door closed behinds Wyvern did that dangerous growl slide from the Specter.

Only one thought filled his mind. One way or another he would see her again and be damned the Judge's fury.

After dinner, Mackenzie groaned as she slumped down in her chair as she gave a pat to her stomach. "I don't know what that was, but it was deliciously good."

"Shepherd's pie."

Brown eyes peeked open, looking to Rhadamanthys as he eyed her from across the table. Kenzie smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "It had meat and potatoes in it, and that makes me happy."

The man snorted with a roll of his eyes as he leaned back in his seat and took a sip of his strong, black tea. "Interesting. I thought you would be a vegetarian like your sister."

Barking out a laugh, Kenzie waved a hand. "No way! I'm a meat-a-holic and proud of it!"

"She is." Beth nodded from next to her husband as she finished the last bite of her pie that didn't seem to suffer without meat. She leaned to rest her head to his shoulder with a soft yawn.

A very faint and soft smile touched the Specter's lips as he looked down to his wife and her sleepy features. "Tired?" he asked softly, slipping fingers up through her beautiful dark hair.

She nodded with a whisper replied, "Yes. Kenzie and I had a long ride today. I should get to bed early tonight since tomorrow Kenzie and I are going to find her a gown for the formal party."

Across the table, Mackenzie perked with a shine in her eyes. "Are we?"

"Mmhmm."

"Yes!" With a sharp squeal, Mackenzie threw her arms up in the air. "I've been waiting for this party for the last five months!" She clapped excitedly. "When are we going?"

Beth groaned. "Hold your horses, I'm an old woman. I sleep in you know."

Rhadamanthys grunted at that. Beth was up at sunrise, feeding the horses and making the morning coffee. The woman didn't know what it meant to sleep in.

"We'll go early enough and have breakfast in town. There's a lovely bakery that I know of. How about that? We'll leave around eight."

Another squeak came from Mackenzie as she bound off her chair and rushed around the table to throw her arms about her sister's neck. "You're awesome! I'm going to go get a nice, hot bath then get to bed early!" With a quick smooch to Beth's cheek, Kenzie spun away, rushing from the room.

Beth chuckled, then slid a dry gaze to her husband. "And you ask me why I claim she's adopted."

Rhadamanthys smirked. He scooted his chair back, leaned to kiss his wife to the cheek then began to sort the dishes upon the table. "Yes, I can see why. Why don't you get yourself settled for the night? I'll clean up."

Beth frowned as she raised her eyes to him. "Are you sure? You were busy today as well, and you had to deal with Pandora-bitch."

Pandora-bitch, ah the dedicated name Beth gave to Lady Pandora, the self-appointed go between Lord Hades, his Specters and Judges. There was no hiding the fact that there was little to no love lost between the two women. Leave Beth and any other wife to a Specter with Pandora locked in a room and it would be Pandora on the floor bleeding and unconscious.

"I have been dealing with her for hundreds of years, centuries really,' he said as he gathered dishes to take them from the table to the sink where he rinsed them before allotting them into the dishwasher, 'that does not mean I can't clean the dishes."

Beth chuckled, then gave in with a shrug of her shoulders. "Have it your way"

Wyvern smirked, watching her exit the kitchen from the corner of his eyes. He looked back to his job only to blink when he felt a pair of luscious lips press a kiss to his cheek. Glancing to the side, he saw his wife smile to him just before walking from the room for a second time.

Mackenzie couldn't sleep. She'd taken her long bath, soaking in the scented bath salts she snagged from her sister, then curled into the massive bed. She felt so tiny bundled up in the thick comforter in the center of the bed; it was a sea of fabric and pillows. Yet there was an odd comfort in being surrounded by such fluffiness. With the windows cracked open, allowing the cool air from the countryside to drift in, Kenzie embraced the thick warmth of the comforter and buried herself into the pillows.

She thought she was tired, but it seemed Mister Sandman was playing hard to get with her. She would get sleepy but then her mind would snap awake with excitement for the coming day. According to Beth, the banquet that was to be held in two days was to be a grand event, a dinner party hosted by Wyvern, for his political associates and for members of the British Historical Society associated with managing the property.

Maybe she'd meet a noble to keep as her own like her sister had. The idea drew a girlish giggle from her and even more excitement. With a high pitch groan, Kenzie threw off the covers then yanked a pillow over her face to hide her energetic cry from breaking out through the mansion.

Enough was enough! If she wasn't going to find sleep in the bed, she might as well wander the halls and explore the house a little bit. Besides, there was her sister's secret stash of Godiva hot cocoa in the cellar that she had discovered earlier. A cup of that lusciously warm brew and some pointless late night British TV would knock her out for sure.

Tip-toeing, Kenzie crept down the old and narrow halls lined historical paintings, marble and carved wood stands holding precious vases and knickknacks as well as antique furniture, carpets and wall hangings. Kenzie made her way towards the kitchen from a winding back stairway that made her feel like a caged animal, the passage was so cramped and narrowed that she worried about falling.

She nearly had a heart attack when she came face to face with Wyvern who was leaving the kitchen, rolling down his sleeves as he took the first stair to the back steps. The two would have collided if Rhadamanthys hadn't reacted so quickly, grasping the creeping girl by the shoulders.

He eyed her cautiously. "It's late, Kenzie. What are you doing up?"

Late? Was he kidding? Peeking past his broad and tall frame, Mackenzie glanced into the kitchen to see the time glowing on the microwave. She looked back to him with a brow arched. "It's only ten-twenty. What are you doing up so late?"

He released her shoulders. "I can do what I want in my home."

"Oh yeah,' Kenzie mewed with a curl of her lips, 'this is your house. That's true." She smiled to him with an impish shrug. "I can't sleep, stupid jet-lag, so I thought I'd make myself some of the hot coco I saw tucked back in the cellar earlier."

"Hot coco?" Wyvern glanced over his shoulder to the closed door that lead down into the large cellar beneath the kitchen. Oh - that hot coco. He looked back to his sister-n-law, offering her a slight grin. "That Godiva coco mix is your sister's personal stash. Even I can't touch it without getting the silent treatment for a few days. What makes you think you can have access to such a priced commodity?"

Kenzie stuck out her tongue. "I'm cute."

Wyvern patted the shorter girl on the head then gave her a push into the kitchen. "Try not to destroy the kitchen, will you? I just cleaned and would appreciate the kitchen remaining clean."

Kenzie gave him a curt nod and a solute. "Yes, Sir!"

Wyvern began to step back her till he paused when he heard his name called. Kenzie had followed him a few steps. "Yes?" 

"Would it be alright if I took my coco out to the stables? It's a lovely night, and well, maybe taking a little walk will help put my mind to rest."

The Specter turned to face her and frowned. His estate was large, an expensive of ten miles of farm land, fields, pastures and the house grounds that was comprised of two stables, the garages, gardens and garden sheds, the green houses, the small welcome center and café for tourist and of course the acre space the mansion sat upon. He wouldn't want her to get lost or hurt. Then again, the stables were not too far of a walk, about a block down the drive.

After a moment of thought, he offered her a nod. "On two conditions."

"Name them," she squeaked happily.

"One,' he raised a single finger, 'you keep your mobile on you at all times and use it if anything happens. Two,' he raised a second finger, 'you be back here within two hours. If not, I will come find you. Do you understand?"

Kenzie nodded eagerly.

"When you return to the house, turn the security system on at the kitchen door. The system is activated already, so you need only press the red activate button."

"I won't forget. Thank you!"

Wyvern nodded, then he turned to disappear into the depths of his home.

Kenzie didn't waste any time. She made her hot coco once she found the mix, and to her delight it was mint chocolate! Oh by the Heavens she was in pure pleasure, sipping that hot, minty chocolate brew as she left the kitchen, heading towards the barn from around the back of the house. She wasn't too far away from the house when Wyvern's English Mastiff Arthur, came bounding towards her, yipping excitedly.

"Hey there boy!" Kenzie laughed, trying to pet the dog and not spill her precious drink. "Want to come with me to the stables? We'll go romp in the hay."

Arthur barked at her and wagged his tail before bouncing off through the gardens towards the tables. He left Kenzie calling after him, "Not so fast! I don't want to spill my coco!"

Unbeknownst to her, she wasn't the only one wandering the grounds. Valentine was determined to see her again, someway - somehow. He didn't know how to see her, considering Wyvern's order was still hot within his mind. No Specter was foolish enough to ignore a command from one of the Judges of Hell.

But he would, for her.

Ever since he had met Mackenzie, Valentine couldn't clear her from his mind, or his soul. She had imprinted herself upon his very core, leaving him with a strong urge to see her - have her. He'd never felt such a pull to a female before, ever. He'd used women, took his pleasure from them then tossed them aside. But this one, this human with such a playful personality had stamped her name upon his subconscious with a permanent marker.

Valentine grinned a dark and dangerous grin as he looked out over the expanse of his Lord's home from loft door in the hayloft of one of the stables. Movement drew the Specter's attention down to the stone drive that headed from the café towards the stables. A dark barked came rushing from the shadows followed after by…

Mackenzie!

Val felt his heart pound hard within his chest then freeze when she turned her direction towards the barn he was sitting in. Slowly, he stood and pressed back into the shadows when Arthur stopped to look up towards the loft door. The dog gave a yip and wagged his tail, catching a familiar scent, but then Mackenzie came forwards to pat him as she walked past and into the barn.

When he heard the doors to the barn groan open, he moved to the stairs, hunching down and listening to her increasing steps. He stood up once more when the barn's light came on followed by some disgruntled grumbles of the horses. Quietly, cautiously, he leapt down to the ground floor, sweeping into an open stall before she or the dog could notice him.

He could see her at one of the horse stalls, petting and cooing to the hose inside. He watched her open the door and attach the stall guard before taking a seat upon a bale of straw outside the door. While Arthur put his nose to the ground, sniffing in lazy exploration, she raised a mug of steam to her lips to sip.

Pressing to the stall wall, Valentine heard her sigh. He peeked out from the stall to see her sipping her mug and smiling to Rascal as he bumped her with his nose. He tried to sniff at the mug, but she drew it away from his reach.

"I wish I could stay here with you," she mewed, giving his silky nose a stroke. Rascal rumbled his agreement and slapped his lips together in attempt to reach the mug. "Beth doesn't know how good she has it here. She has an amazing and wealthy husband who comes with a noble title. Not only does she live in England, one of the most mystical countries in the world, but she has this incredible house that she gets to live in. She doesn't have to ask for anything. Wyvern will give her whatever she desires." She sighed as she leaned a shoulder to the stall. "Everything she could ever want is right here."

"I can barely put myself through college," she went on to sadly say. "She doesn't know it yet, but I don't have the funds to go back to school in the fall. It's all gone thanks to my mother. I don't even have a home to go back to."

Valentine felt his heart crack hearing her sad statement, and when he saw her frowning and staring down to the mug in her hands, he couldn't help but feel the urge to comfort her slap him cold. With his keen sight the Specter was able to see the small tear that slid down her cheek. She was hurting inside, sad and confused, and he had no idea how to comfort her.

Valentine looked away, pressing his back to the wall as he turned his attention to the ceiling. Specters weren't supposed to feel anything but the hunger for battle and destruction brought on by the need to hold and control power. They desired nothing but to fight for the God Hades and to destroy those who threatened their Lord's directives.

But Harpy Valentine wanted something more, something to give his dark life meaning and substance. He wanted something more than the power and strength of his Surplice, something more than his duties to Hades and Gaia.

He knew in his heart that Mackenzie was that 'something'. And there was only one explanation for the pull and the hunger he felt towards her.

Delicate and soft sobs drew the Specter from his thoughts, and his gaze refocused once again upon Mackenzie to see her embracing the horse's thick muzzle to her cheek as she cried softly. Even Arthur was at her side with his head resting to her knee and his big eyes looking sadly up to her.

Damn it…

Her sobs tore through Valentine's body, filling his soul with unease. He wanted them to stop so the guilt he was feeling would go away. Specters didn't feel guilt for any reason, so why was he?

The only way to stop her tears was to venture out and offer her what little comfort he could. So he slowly stood up, stepping from the stall and out to the cobblestone isle, his feet falling silently with each step he took.

Arthur was the first to respond to his presence, lifting his head and giving a bark before prancing forwards to circle him.

Mackenzie blinked, gasping and looking up when her companion bound away. Past her tear filled eyes she saw a watery outline of a form coming towards her. She wiped at her eyes till her vision cleared, and then she saw the face of the handsome young man whom she had seen earlier.

"Oh, it's you. Valentine, right?"

He gave a nod and a pat to the dog's head.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Minding my thoughts," he told her. "Are you alright?" he inquired as he stepped forwards, hesitantly raising a hand to wipe at her damp cheek.

Kenzie shrugged her shoulders weakly. She made no move to stop him from brushing away her tears, in fact, the move took a bit of her sadness away. "I couldn't sleep," she answered pitifully, looking to her nearly empty mug of hot coco. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was crying like that."

"Why are you crying?"

"Stupid emotions. That's all."

"I see." What else could he say?

Kenzie whimpered, sniffling sadly as she looked to her mug. "Damn. Now my coco is cold."

Valentine couldn't help but chuckle at sad face etched with pouting lips. He gently took her mug from her hands, setting it aside before he took her hands in his. The move surprised him in after thought as his gaze locked down to their joined hands. Was it him or were his fingers moving along her smooth skin on their own?

"So,' he said with his gaze lifting to hers and his fingers still caressing along her own, 'you came out to the barn to sob and drink hot chocolate? Does Wyvern know you're out here?"

"Yes, he does."

Was he holding her hands? Kenzie glanced down at the feeling of his rough fingertips caressing along her knuckles before she tipped her head, her eyes following his arms, till she was looking to his features. He was starring right at her with those unique eyes of his. She'd never seen a guy like him before. What guy has silver hair and pale brown eyes like him?

Val glanced up with a tip of his head to notice her staring at him with tender eyes. He'd never seen a look like that from another woman before. Most of the looks he receives are looks of use and abuse, from Pandora and promises of dark desire, of agony and torture. The Specter shuddered, pushing an image of that beautiful but twisted soul from his mind.

"Come on,' Valentine said softly as he stood back, his motions drawing her up to follow him, 'let's go for a walk. You need not sit in this dirty stable crying to a horse."

Frowning, Kenzie stood up and glanced back to Rascal who shook his thick head, grumbled something then turned back into his stall. She gaped. "I've been dissed by a horse, and here I thought he was listening to me."

The Specter rolled his eyes as he guided her towards the main doors to the stables. "It's only an animal."

"So are boys."

Valentine snorted.

Kenzie chuckled as she stepped out into the cool English night. He was at her side again, and to her amazement was offering her his arm. What a polite move! Kenzie smiled warmly and took his arm.

Maybe boys weren't animals after all, then again, looking quickly to the handsome, silver haired man walking at her side, Kenzie couldn't help but feel a hot twist of tight desire coil about within her stomach. And as she pressed herself to his side as they walked, she giggled silently to herself and realized that a little 'crush' was forming for this man. Then again, that could just be the hot coco talking.


	2. Just A Feeling

Sisters S Lazic

Sisters

II

~ A Saint Seiya Fanfiction~

Featuring: Harpy Valentine / OC & Wyvern Rhadamanthys / OC

(Warning: Language and Adult Situations throughout story)

**B**eth sighed as she tucked the corner of her towel, the warm and lusciously scented steam form her shower caressing her in touches of sandalwood. She ran a hand over the steam coated mirror only to smirk as she made a smiley face upon the slickened glass, but then the sound of the bedroom door opening and closing drew her attention.

"Wyvern? Is that you?" Beth called out.

"I would hope so, otherwise I would have to kill whoever walks into our bedroom."

The response from Wyvern set a smirk upon Beth's lips. She left the bathroom while rubbing a towel to her damp, dark hair that was now tight coils of curls that stuck to her skin. There he was, stretched out upon their bed with his arms folded behind his head, his eyes closed, and his feet crossed. A smile replaced the grin upon her lips as she crossed the room upon bare feet till she stood at the end of the bed.

"Did the dishes win? Are you defeated?"

The man didn't even open his eyes as he snorted. "Don't be cheeky," he muttered under his breath.

Beth chuckled as she began to untie the strings of his loafers so she could pull them off, discarding them to the floor, followed by his socks. "You poor man," he purred playfully as she began to crawl her way up the bed.

Rhadamanthys opened his eyes to watch her movements through a hooded gaze. When she was hovering over his torso with the ends of her wet curls falling upon his clothed chest, he ran his deadly hands up her bare arms, caressing her still warm and damp flesh. "Did you enjoy your shower?"

"I did," Beth mewed, dipping her head to nuzzle her nose to his neck. She heard him sigh deeply.

Wyvern tipped his head to offer his neck to her while his hands ran along her shoulders to sweep her hair away. "You made a delicious supper," he mumbled without any true meaning to his words, making idle conversation.

Beth smirked as she came to lay down next to him, a bare leg draped over his hips. She ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair. "I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

Delicate fingers ran along her husband's strong jaw till she arched so her lips could replace her fingers in soft, delicate kisses. "Thank you for cleaning up."

Wyvern returned the soft kiss. "You're welcome."

Beth touched her lips to the kip of his nose. "I haven't heard a peep from Kenzie. She must have gone to bed."

"She's out in the stables."

Beth blinked, and her body came to arch upwards with a curious brow arched. "What? She said she was going to bed."

Wyvern drew in a very deep breath that expanded his taut chest as his eyes followed the motion of his wife's half clothed body. "She couldn't sleep,' he told her as his fingers ran through the falling coils of silk, 'so she asked if she could go to the stables."

Beth frowned out of concern for her sister. "I don't know if she should be out there by herself at this late hour."

"She has her cell phone on her, and I'm sure Arthur went with her."

Beth's frown deepened. "Still…"

"She made some hot coco from your secret stash, by the way."

Beth's features went from concern to shock within a second. "She found my special stock of Godiva coco? Who told her about that? And wait,' she pointed an accusing finger to her husband, 'how do you know about that?"

Wyvern grinned. "She said she found it, and I have known about that stash for a while now."

Beth groaned pitifully. "Bugger, now I'm going to have to find another hidey hole."

Wyvern sighed with a slight shake of his head. "Why are you moaning?" he asked. "You know that if you need more of that stuff you need only ask. It's not like we're living a commoner's life."

Beth rolled her eyes then stuck her tongue out. "So you say, but when I asked for the Godiva chocolate factory last year you said no."

"Even I have my limits," said the Specter chuckled with a sly grin to his lips. "Besides, you did get some chocolate."

The statement was true. Last Christmas when she was expecting to find truckloads of Godiva chocolate waiting for her in the driveway she found a brand new imported Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, painted a beautiful metallic chocolate with espresso colored interior. She often wondered if Wyvern had ever recovered the small percentage of his hearing that she screamed away upon sight of that magnificent car.

Beth chuckled then smiled leaning to press a kiss to his forehead. "I love my Bumbles,' her nickname for her car, 'and I love my husband."

The Judge of Hell arched a brow.

She rolled her eyes. "I love you more than the car, darling."

"I would bloody hope so," he muttered under his breath with a dramatic roll of his eyes, then he grinned to his wife as she slid a leg over his hips then followed the motion with her body till she was seated atop him. He curled his fingers to her hips.

Mewling, Beth sat straight. She certainly enjoyed the view and the feel of having the powerful Judge of Hell resting beneath her. She licked her lips as she ran her fingers up and down his chest, plucking open a button along the line that ran down the center of his chest. "So, do you think Kenzie will be gone for a little while?"

Wyvern's golden brown eyes darkened as he watched her devious fingers pop buttons. "Perhaps."

Mewing, Beth slid her hands along the flesh she had exposed of his chest and stomach while pushing his shirt open. She then ran her hands over the part of the towel she wore till she pulled the tuck apart. "Hopefully she'll be gone for a nice, long time."

Rhadamanthys felt his body instantly tighten as his lovely and wife allowed her towel to cascade from her body. He ran his gaze, those hot eyes of his, along her curved form. She wasn't thin - oh no - Beth had the perfect hour glass figure with sweet curves and soft flesh that was tightened beneath by muscles toned from years of horseback riding. Now it was his turn to lick his lips in hunger as she ran her hands along her naked breasts. He shuddered from the sultry look within her eyes and the way she continued to move her fingers down her stomach to the parted junction of her thighs.

The man groaned tightly to a suddenly stab of pain in his groin as her fingers touched the bare folds of her body. "Woman,' the Specter hissed in a voice dripping with danger, 'you know better than to tease me."

Oh, how cruel she could be! Cruel in the sense that she did love to tease her husband till he quaked with desperate need. "Darling,' she whispered softly as she scooted her body back down his legs, 'you know better than to think I would tease you and not please you."

Beth winked to him then turned her eyes down as she began to undo the buckle of his belt then the snaps and zipper of his slacks. Her hot eyes looked up with her lips parting to allow her teeth to nip to her lower lip as she slipped fingers between the of his trousers. A dark yet sensual grin touched her lips when her fingers ghosted over bare, hot and hardening flesh.

"I should've known," she purred.

Wyvern's deep chuckle vibrated through his chest, and his eyes flashed as she began to stroke him. He reached down to run his strong hands along her naked thighs. To feel the muscles in her thigh tremble beneath his touch drew a sinister smile across his handsome mouth. In one smooth move, he arched up and slid a hand into her hair so he could pull her down to him. Rhadamanthys sealed his mouth to hers in a heated, desperate embrace that made his wife moan.

She quivered to the intensity that was felt within that kiss, and in response she tightened her hand about his swelling member. Beth moaned to the assault upon her lips. His kiss, though harsh as it was, held passion and love. So she parted her lips allowing his tongue to sweep forwards to dance and twist with hers. About his swollen flesh, jerking within her palm, she tightened her fingers to stroke him harder and harder till she could hear nothing but his deep, bestial growling. She drank in every sound, every bite and suckle upon her lips as she squeezed him till he hissed.

Heat swam through Beth's body, licking very nerve with dancing, hot and desperate flames as warm arousal swirled and pooled within her belly. Sleek muscles tightened and flesh began to ache as Beth's body began to rock slowly upon his body. She moaned, her hips twisting and shifting - imitating the motion of sex.

Wyvern drew in a sharp hiss of air when her mouth pulled away, breaking the kiss. To protest, he tightened his fist within her hair in a silent command to return her mouth to his. But Beth was not to have any of it, even though she desired nothing more to feel his sensual and powerful kisses. Instead, she smiled a seductive, sweet and sensual smile that made him shudder. No longer able to think, the Specter laid back upon the bed, resting his head to pillows, while watching his wife's body dance atop him. He couldn't take his eyes from her swaying flesh, the parting of her legs or the slickening folds that screamed his name.

When he reached for her, Beth slid further down his tight legs till she was bent down with her body partially resting upon one of his legs. He parted the other by simple instinct as his wife bowed her head, and when her hot lips encircled the tip of his sensitive and swollen shaft, Rhadamanthys nearly bowed off the bed.

Her tongue flicked and played over the mushroom tip while her fingers continued to caress his flesh. He was so thick, so hot and so hard that Beth was trembling with thinning control. Cradling his shaft, she licked and teased the tip, hesitating to slide inch after inch of veiny flesh into her throat. But when she felt a hand wind into her hair, adding pressure to the back of her head, Beth opened her mouth and dipped her head. She groaned as his thickness filled her throat.

Wyvern grinned to the feel of her throat relaxing and expanding so he arched his hips to glide his erection further into the warm recesses of her silken mouth. Beth didn't protest. She moaned about the thick shaft as she allowed inch after inch, but then he was drawing her mouth away before pushing her back down with gentle pressure to the top of her head. The rhythm that he set up was perfect, up and down - up and down. Her slick lips and tongue washing along flesh from base to tip. And soon her lover was guiding her motions faster, harder and deeper within her hot mouth and tightening throat till he was so thick that her throat throbbed to try and accommodate him.

Soon their room echoed with the sounds of their building pleasures. But when enough was enough, when Wyvern could no longer contain himself, he roughly pulled his wife's succulent mouth from his flesh. He shuddered to the sight of her slick mouth leaving his shaft wet by her assault. Snarling, the Specter grabbed his wife, pulling her forwards before easily flipping her over. He was on her in a flash with his clothes literally disappearing from his body.

Beth laughed at his power, raw and intense! They fumbled with his clothes, fabric flying across the room, till Wyvern's was naked – gloriously naked! She could feel muscles beneath his flesh trembling as the last of his self-control fractured! She loved it! She loved the sensation of his hard, long frame sliding flesh to flesh along her body till she cradled him between her legs. And when he thrust himself into her body, Beth arched off the bed crying out to their private world.

Rhadamanthys clenched his eyes shut and snarled deeply. He bowed his head, waves of blonde falling before his vision, as he sheathed himself fully within his wife's hot and tight body. Wetness embraced him, muscles and flesh tightening to hold him lovingly, and when he began to thrust in and out of that hot core there was nothing he could feel but pure pleasure. No longer could he control himself, only desperate need remained.

The man bent low over his lover as her arms and legs wrapped about him. She arched her hips, taking him deeper as her nails clawed lines along his back. He didn't care. All he cared about was the way she felt and that sinful hot feeling of their bodies grinding and sliding against each other. Growling, he parted his mouth and latched his teeth to Beth's neck making her cry out again and thrust wildly beneath his driving body.

Flesh clashed against flesh - slick and hot.

Bodies moved and danced while voices cried out in rapture.

Wyvern grasped his wife, arms slipping about her shaking form, as he drove harder against her till their antique bed threatened to break! Wood groaned and creaked beneath the pounding intensity of their bodies moving. Over and over, with time slowing, the two lovers embrace each other till their passion exploded in one final erotic cataclysm.

Exhausted, Rhadamanthys' trembling body fell to the side once he drew from his wife's throbbing flesh. His lungs burned and quivered with each drawn, deep breath he took. Next to him, Beth too was trying to calm herself from their sexual high. "It's a good thing Kenzie decided to go the barn," he heard her giggle.

"Why is that?" he asked as he slowly turned his head to see her grinning up to the ceiling.

Mewling like a pleased little kitten, Beth rolled so she could curled her naked and damp body against him. "She would've had that inborn intuition that her sister was about to get laid and would've been banging on the door with some weird question."

How the hell could she move? He could hardly move his arm to drape about her shoulders. "Which is one reason I refuse to have any children just yet," said the Specter as he pressed his cheek to the top of his wife's head. "I refuse to allow any child to dictate the time I spend in pleasure with you."

Beth nuzzled her cheek to his shoulder. She chuckled then sighed heavily in delight as she draped herself over his body. "We can always have children, then toss them off to our friends till their about eighteen before sending them off to college."

The Specter grumbled as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I wonder what she's doing right now."

"Who?"

"Mackenzie…"

Wyvern bit back a tight yawn. Somehow, someway he managed to draw up the cover up without tossing his wife to the side. Beneath the cover the two coiled together as exhaustion and the lull of sleep pulled at them. "Don't worry about her. She'll be back soon. Get some sleep. You and your sister have a busy day tomorrow."

Beth tucked herself within warmth and within powerful embrace. "I'm going to find the sexiest little number to wear at the dinner so I can tease you all night long."

"That is exactly why I insisted on a dress code for the event."

"If I wasn't too tired I'd pinch that tooshie of yours."

The Specter gave a chuckle. "Rest, my love."

"Pinch…"

"Beth…"

She giggled…

**V**alentine held his naturally intense gaze upon the young woman walking at his side with her hands laced behind her back and a sway to her steps. Though they had walked away from the stables and into the darkness that encompassed the pastures, the moon was so bright that the natural light gifted the two with a glowing pathway. They walked the line of one of the horse pastures where the tall brick wall lined one side of the path and a thick line of trees lined the other side. Insects chirped and chatted from the deep thicket and once in a while an owl or two would hoot from the tree branches.

To Valentine the darkness and the night were to him like day and light to McKenzie. In Hell there was no day and very little natural light. The sky was painted an odd twist of colors from reds to blacks with a touch of purple. There was no rain or wind this night, just an unnatural darkness that clouded the sky above Hade's domain. Did Valentine miss the mortal world where Gaia ruled and provided the sustenance for the Earth to survive? Yes, he did. He missed the touch of the sun, the smell of rain, and the feel of the wind against his skin. But Hades was his home, not this world anymore. Even though Rhadamanthys had chosen to return to a mortal life with his wife, Valentine, who had no such luxuries to return to, kept to his promise to Gaia and guarded the God Hades and his domain.

"I've never heard so many little bugs," Kenzie chuckled with her attention locked upon the tree line. "Even back home you don't hear so many little critters bickering back and forth."

"Not really bickering,' Val said with a slight smirk to his lips, 'a lot of what you hear are mating calls."

Kenzie glanced back to the handsome man next to her with a slender brow arched. "Bug mating calls, how fascinating. Should I ask why you know that?"

The Specter chuckled choosing not to answer. Instead, he inquired from her a simple curiosity, "So tell me the truth about why you were crying in the stables."

Kenzie blinked her eyes. "What do you mean? I told you the truth."

"Did you? I'm not sure about this, but maybe it is true that girls cry over chocolate and coco."

"I sure do." McKenzie chuckled then shrugged. "Like I said, emotions sometimes twist around in me and collide."

Valentine, who kept his eyes upon her, frowned just slightly. He wasn't good at emotional support. Come to think of it, he didn't know any Specter who had the talent to understand human emotions anymore. Their life as Specters didn't come with a training manual provided by Pandora on how to handle emotions. All they knew was the command to obey her and Hades and do what was asked of them. There were no support groups in Hell, and there were certainly no therapists besides a painful beating from Lady Pandora or the Judge of Hell one served.

Valentine shuddered at the horrific pain that damn woman could give out, and not just physical either. Pandora was very talented at the art of humiliation and dishonor. Emotions were considered a part of weakness but for those emotions that contained anger, rage and power, the negative emotions that made a Specter a true Specter.

Then again, Valentine knew that he wasn't a complete bastard when it came to his emotions. He held great respect for Rhadamanthys, and he held a profound understanding of loyalty and devotion to his General and to his fellow Specters who followed Rhadamanthys. And in a sense, he understood the concept of love. He loved power. He loved control. He loved his desires. Oh yes, Valentine was not a man who had ignored the desires of his own heart and soul.

Valentine was still confused as to why Wyvern would return to this human world, setting aside the power and the status that he retained in Hades for a woman, a simple human woman. Yet as Valentine stole glances to McKenzie, he couldn't help but feel a warm pull of desire. No, the pull he felt was stronger than just the need to take some girl and fuck her mad. This pull simmered within his soul, building and building within him while tightening like a knot within his belly to the point where pain developed. Along with this pull came the urge to grab McKenzie, pull her against him, and claim her as his own. The insanity of it all came down to the fact that he wanted her in every way possible and had since that first look upon her.

Now he wanted her.

But he couldn't just proclaim some deep rooted, and likely insane sounding, love and need for her. She'd scream bloody murder, call him a freak, and then run to her sister. The next thing he would know would be Rhadamanthys threatening to pull his skin off for upsetting his wife and his sister-n-law. One thing any intelligent Specter did was upset the Wyvern's Starmate.

Valentine sighed and turned his gaze away as he tried to refocus his urges by pushing the twisting knot further and further down inside him. But damn it, he'd been doing that since the afternoon and the only result he realization that his attempts were pointless.

"Are you alright?"

The Specter blinked his pale silvery eyes and looked to the young American who had stopped at his side. There was a shadow of concern within those beautiful eyes of hers. She must've seen his momentary confusion. Valentine smirked, just like most men when caught in a question they would hate to explain. He quickly diverted her attention as he began to walk down the path. "Tell me about yourself, McKenzie."

"What about me?" Kenzie skipped to catch up to him. She offered him a curious look with a brow arched upon her features.

"Yes,' the Specter shrugged, glancing to her then back down the dark path, 'tell me who you are, what you do for a living, and your hobbies. You know, those type of interests."

She twisted her lips in thought as once again her hands laced behind her back. "Well, I'm in my first year at University. I just graduated with a BA in psychology from my local community college."

"What are you studying?"

"Environmental psychology."

Valentine arched a brow. "I've never heard of such an area of study."

"I wouldn't be surprised. It's a new field that focusses on how one's environment affects their psyche. We study how the positive and negative environments of children can form their psychological health and behavior, as well as how people adapt to the changes in not only their personal environment, let's say their homes, their work environment, and their families, but also how the changes in the global environment affects them, from political and governmental activities, world concerns such as hunger and population growth, to the change in the earth like global warming."

She smiled softly and gave a shy little shrug. "It's important to know how we develop and adjust to the world about us, from how we acquire our food, to the pollution created by a nation half way across the world."

Valentine listened politely as McKenzie spoke passionately of her studies, and he noticed how her eyes came to life the more she spoke. He saw the same passion reflected within her that he had in himself for his duties as a Specter.

"I almost considered child psychology and development, but for some reason studying children scared the death out of me."

The Specter snorted out an amused chuckle and shuddered to the very concept of children. He wasn't a child type of man, never desired one nor could he be around one without breaking out in hives. However, a few times he pondered when Beth would give Rhadamanthys a child. But when he inquired of the two, their reaction was not what he had expected expect of a married couple so very much in love with each other. Rhadamanthys snorted with a roll of his eyes mentioning something about how babies were nothing but a walking mess on two legs, and then there was Beth who nearly fell over laughing with both men looking to her in curiosity. Her explanation was more to the fact that her husband wouldn't dare give up any of his precious private time with her to be called away in the middle to change a diaper, or the Heavens forbid, burp a baby.

No, according to the General, they had no plans to produce an Heir to his Surplice any time soon. But Valentine wasn't so sure when he noticed Beth's sneaky little grin and dreamy sparkle to her eyes.

"Do you like kids?"

The question snapped the Specter's attention back to the girl at his side. She was smiling to him with a smile of sweetness. A blush tore across Val's cheeks for probably the first time in his life, and so he quickly looked away. "I don't know. I don't have a lot of experience with children. They are no children where I live."

"Oh come on, kids are everywhere."

"Not where I come from, trust me." The blush upon his cheeks paled and disappeared as he thought back to the countless souls that would wander through Hades to fall into the depths of Hell. Many were children killed in one way or another. He could still see their blank expressions as they walked, or were carried, to their immortal torture. Sure, he wasn't one for kids, but now that he thought about it, why would an innocent child be left to the torture of Hell for all eternity?

McKenzie saw the frown crease the young man's brow. "Hey,' she said gently, touching his arm, 'I didn't mean to upset you."

Val glanced down to her touch, then to her gentle face. "You didn't upset me." He offered her a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

Though she wasn't too sure with his answer, Kenzie dropped the subject. "So tell me something about you." She grinned and gave him a nudge. "Earlier, when I saw you in the office, you were kneeling before Rhadamanthys. Why did you do that?"

Oh, shit. That's right, she saw that. Valentine groaned inwardly as his mind spun to seek out an answer. How the hell was he to explain what she saw? Kneeling before Rhadamanthys was expected of him considering Rhadamanthys was still his General and he Wyvern's First Lieutenant.

"That was nothing but an old habit," he said in replied with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders. "I've known Rhadamanthys since we were kids, a long, long time ago."

Yeah, that would work. He wasn't about to explain to her that his and Rhadamanthys' souls were intertwined just like all of theirs, reborn in the same roles to be played out over the centuries. All Specters were reborn to the same social levels, in the same communities, and to the same blood line as they had been in their previous lives. Valentine was reborn as he had been, a commoner, and Rhadamanthys reborn into his noble family. They were always reunited as friends with a loyalty built between the two that could not understand, nor that could be cut by the knife held permanently within Pandora's hands.

Rhadamanthys would always be his General.

"An old habit, really? How bizarre."

Val chuckled. "Alright, I lost a bet to him years ago and to humor the humorless bastard, I play into his ego. Beth refuses to curtsy to him and that makes him cry." Tsking, he shook his head, sighed, and mumbled, "It's so very sad."

Kenzie snorted. The image of her sister doing a curtsy to her husband was almost too funny, especially when Beth fell right on to her butt when participating in the Hokey Pokey. The girl had no sense of balance what-so-ever. Then again, the image of Rhadamanthys crying was even funnier, and suddenly Kenzie's laughter danced throughout the darkness.

Val arched a brow as the American began to laugh and within a few seconds he was chuckling right along with her. His chuckles stopped when the girl wrapped her arms about his in a rather intimate embrace, and the Specter felt his heart slam hard in his chest. Her touch, the feel of her body pressed against him, coiled a twisting knot within the pit of his belly. He gulped when she hugged his arm.

"So…' she mused after a moment of silence shared between the two, 'what do you do? I know that Rhadamanthys does something, but what that something is I have no clue. Every time I ask there's a different and indirect explanation with no real answer to it."

Great! How the hell was he going to answer this one? 'Yeah, I'm a Specter who lives in Hades protecting the domain of the dead and operating in Hades' army. By the way, Rhadamanthys is one of the Generals and one of three Judges of Hell.' Sure, that would fly.

"Honestly?" he heard himself ask.

Kenzie nodded, and her cheek rubbed against his arm as she looked up to him.

"I really have nothing specific that I do. I guess you could list me as military as I've been in the army for a long time."

"Oh, I think Beth mentioned once that you and Rhadamanthys were in the military for a while."

Valentine released a held breath and sighed heavily. He'd have to thank Beth for being so clever. "Yeah, we were. Though he was always a hire rank than me. I suppose, in a way, I still treat him with the respect deserving of his rank."

"That explains a lot." She chuckled then raised her eyes to him. "Your accent isn't British. Beth said you're not English."

"That is correct. I was born in Cyprus."

"How did you come to know Rhadamanthys then?"

"Family connections," he lied right out. "I was orphaned when I was very young, no more than four years of age. I was sent here to be raised by a distant uncle who was also an associate of Rhadmanthys' father. So in truth, Rhadamanthys and I have been friends, almost brothers, since we were children."

"That make sense." McKenzie smiled with a soft chuckle. "Have you ever been to college?"

The Specter chuckled with a shake his head that shifted the long, thin strands of silvery-purple against his back. "No. There's no point when you're going to be military for the rest of your life and into the afterlife. I guess you can say I've sold my soul already."

Kenzie frowned heavily. "I'm not very fond of the army. I don't like the idea of innocent people dying for the wants and needs of a zealous dictator or self-centered government. People shouldn't be used as pawns."

Val glanced down to her and saw a sad shadow pass across her features, remembrance dancing within her eyes. He looked away and said softly, "You've lost someone to war."

Kenzie nodded. "A few years back. He joined the army, and after his training, he was deployed overseas. He was killed only a few months later. His family's never forgiven the military for his death. Then again, I don't think they ever will. It's hard for me, even now."

"War is never easy for either side, especially those caught in the middle. There's no honor in modern war as there once was when man had respect and discipline. Now it seems war is nothing more than a game being played by those in power. They spin stories to explain their reasoning and needs, and often time's people follow them blindly. Loyalty can be blind just as faith and trust when emotions are used and twisted."

Kenzie frowned and released a heavy breath. "I guess the causes and reasoning behind war is too complicated to be understood at times. Each side has their own take on the matter, and those involved, on either side, are often too attached to their drive."

Val gave a nod. He gently unwound his arm from hers so he could take her hand in his. The move seemed natural to him, done without a thought. "There's no reason to talk of war and lost friends, McKenzie. I didn't want this walk to end up becoming a doomed walk of depression."

She chuckled softly. "Sorry. Maybe I need therapy. Beth suggested I find a therapist."

"Why?" Valentine asked, tipping his head to the side. He frowned down to her.

"Well, to help me work through the issues I'm having, family problems, past problems, and relationship crap. The usual for a woman my age."

The usual? Family problems? Relationship problems? The Specter growled low in his throat to the idea that Kenzie might already have a relationship. If that was the case, he'd have to hunt the man down and dispose of him. "I would hope that your lover wouldn't be causing you any problems."

"Lover?" Kenzie squeaked, pulling back and looking to Valentine with an expression of mixed shock and surprise. Her cheeks heated to a deep blush.

The man paused and turned about to regard her with caution. "You said relationship problems, that would involve a lover, correct?"

Shaking her head back and forth quickly, McKenzie flailed her arms before her. "Oh, no! I don't have a lover. I don't even have a boyfriend!"

Curiosity knitted the Specter's brow, and he let his gaze trail along her petite form only to have his intense silvery gaze settle upon her features. "Why not? Don't the men you know find you attractive?"

Heat exploded across Kenzie's cheeks, and her eyes went wide for a moment only to narrow dangerously. She placed her hands to her hips. "What the hell does that mean? Am I ugly or something? Is that what you mean?"

The acid in her voice set Valentine back a step or two. He put his hands up in defense. "No!" he barked out. "Not at all. That's not what I meant. I just…"

"Oh,' she huffed, crossing her arms to her chest, 'you must mean that because I don't have a boyfriend then there must be something wrong with me, huh? Like I'm cracked in the head or something?"

The Specter took another step back. Panic twisted his handsome features at the anger and heat radiating from Kenzie. "Of course not!" he stuttered as she took a step closer to him. "I didn't mean any offense, McKenzie. I only meant that men must be insane to not desire you as their lover."

His words caused Kenzie to blink her eyes then slowly tip her head to regard him with curiosity. She was studying not only the meaning of his words but the expression of worry upon his face. "Really?"

He didn't breathe just yet, only nodded his head slowly. "Yes, really."

With a sigh, McKenzie shook her head. "I'll never understand the coded language of men." Shrugging, she turned and walked forwards allowing Valentine to breathe a sigh of safety.

Smirking, the Specter stepped up to her side. They continued walking in silence. That was, till McKenzie snuck a glance to the taller man. What had he meant by his quick cover that any guy would be insane not to have her as a lover, not just a girlfriend but a lover? She looked away with her eyes filled with confusion before she looked back to him.

"What did you mean by guys being insane for not liking me?" She just had to ask.

Valentine looked to her only to see her attention locked to him. He could blurt out something really stupid that would probably earn him a smack even though it would put him on the safe side, but then he didn't want to give McKenzie any sort of bullshit. He wanted to be truthful with her, honest. She deserved that much.

Valentine stopped, allowing her to move forwards just a few steps, and when she was just out of arm's reach, he took her hand to stop her. When she glanced back, he drew her to him so he could brush his fingers along her cheek. "I'm not talented at all with romance,' he said honestly, 'but what I meant to say is just the honest truth, McKenzie. You're absolutely beautiful, and though I've only known you for a few short hours, I find you confusing, energetic, curious, humorous, exciting, and enchanting."

Kenzie couldn't help but stare up to Val's mysterious eyes. His touch trailing along her cheek left a tickle of warmth along her skin.

Her skin was so soft, silken beneath his touch, and her eyes held so much warmth and beauty that Valentine found himself lost within her gaze. He couldn't help himself, or his fingers, as he continued to skim the rough tips along her jawline till a single finger outlined her lips. To his delight, her lips parted so subtly that a tiny breath was released. The urge to kiss her slammed Valentine hard within his soul, so much so, that the Specter had to call upon all of his strength of will to keep from crushing her mouth to his.

"I'm sorry,' he muttered, lowering his touch and his gaze, 'I've over stepped the boundaries of politeness."

Kenzie blinked at the sudden change of atmosphere shared between the two. One moment he was sweeping her heart into a lull of romantic bliss, and then the next he was apologizing for something he obviously hadn't done. Over stepping boundaries? What boundaries was he talking about? Then the exact meaning of his words tapped her on the head, and a light bulb went off behind her eyes as a smile spread upon her lips.

Grinning ever so sweetly, Kenzie reached up to turn his features back to her. "Valentine."

Her touch and the whisper of his name drew his eyes back to hers.

"I may be young and inexperienced in the world of dating, but I'm not stupid." Her smile softened as she closed the distance between them. "Do you find me attractive?"

Did he find her attractive? For the love of Hades himself, Valentine already knew he found her attractive. The answer to her question and the truth to it all was right at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to speaking the words. The last thing Valentine needed was Rhadamanthys coming after him if he discovered any silly little notion of attachment growing between his wife's sister and his Lieutenant.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Valentine smiled softly to her. He took her hand in his so he could press the back of her knuckles to his lips. "Any way I answer that, I'm not sure you would believe me."

"Why wouldn't I? I asked you the question, right?"

"Yes, you did. However, this isn't the time to question such a notion. We don't know much about each other to begin with, and I did discover you spilling your tears to a horse. Do you really think two strangers can look at each other and feel attraction to one another?"

He smirked when he saw her features tuck in to a pout. "Am I right?"

Kenzie sighed dramatically. "I suppose so. However, and to be honest, I find you very handsome, and there's something about you that peeks my curiosity. But I can't put my finger on it."

"I like to think,' he began to say, 'that there are feelings and emotions that we experience, that at times, don't need an explanation. They are there for us to have and don't need to be understood, questioned, or analyzed."

"I didn't know you were in to philosophy." Kenzie chuckled but nodded as she said, "You're right. Maybe what I'm feeling shouldn't be broken apart and scrutinized but left to do its own thing."

Valentine offered a polite incline of his head, acknowledging her statement.

"You know what? I think you're the first man I've ever known to use reasoning.

He didn't quite understand that comment. Why wouldn't a man not use reasoning? If you didn't, you were just an idiot who deserved whatever reaction came from your stupidity. Valentine shook his head, but when his lips parted to respond, the sound of a cell phone chimed out through the darkness.

Kenzie squeaked to the sudden intrusion upon the quiet night and their pleasing conversation, and she fumbled into the pocket of her jeans to pull out her phone to answer the call. "Hello?"

_"Where are you, McKenzie?"_

Kenzie winced, pulling the phone from her ear and covering it with a hand. She looked to Valentine with her eyes wide. "It's my sister's man asking me where I am. He sounds annoyed."

"He's always annoyed," Val snorted with a slight grin to his lips.

Stifling a little giggle, Kenzie put the phone back to her ear. "I'm still outside."

"_Where outside?"_

"Uh. Somewhere?"

For a second or two there was silence on the other end of the call till a slow, heavy breath sounded followed by Rhadamanthys' voice asking, "Where exactly is somewhere?"

"I followed a path from the stables north of the property. I think I've walked about half a mile or so."

_"Turn around and return to the house. It's late. Beth will worry. If you are not back within an hour, I will come looking for you."_

Kenzie sighed softly with a little pout upon her lips. "Fine, I'll head back."

_"Do you remember the way?"_

"Yes."

"Then return directly. I will be waiting to make sure you arrive safely."

"But dad," she whined playfully and pitifully.

"Now, Kenzie."

"Alright, alright, I'm heading back." The call went dead. Kenzie sighed looking to Valentine. "I've been ordered back to the house. I should go."

"I'll walk you back, make sure you're safe." Valentine offered his arm to her.

Once again her cheeks tickled with the warmth of a delicate blush as Kenzie took his arm. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

It seemed the walk back to the house went far faster than McKenzie had hoped for it seemed that in no time at all the two came to the edge of the coble stone drive that circled the front of the manner house. The house itself was dark but for a few decorative lights beaming up from the ground to brighten the blanket of English ivy growing up along the stone walls. The only light on in the house came from two tall windows of the library.

Valentine stopped at the edge of the drive and caught McKenzie's hand as she continued on forwards. When she looked back to him with a brow arched, he skimmed fingers along her cheek and up into her hair. Before she could question him, the Specter dipped his head to kiss her. He couldn't help himself. He had to taste her, just for one moment in his immortal life. He sighed to the kiss, so soft were her lips.

Kenzie had just enough time to blink her eyes and squeak before he kissed her. Instantly, she felt hot electricity scatter throughout her body, racing form muscle to muscle and nerve to nerve. Her knees grew week as the kiss continued, and when Valentine's arms came about her, McKenzie could do nothing but melt against him.

He meant for the kiss to remain gentle, sweet and chaste, but with her sweet little moans tickling his keen ears, Valentine could no longer hold himself back. He wrapped his arms about her, drawing her flush to him as his mouth played so smoothly over hers. He nipped at her lips, trailed his tongue against her petals, and drank in every little sound of pleasure that slipped against his lips.

Oh dear heaven…

McKenzie couldn't think straight. She couldn't even remember what had happened just a few minutes ago. All she could think of and all she could feel was the man holding her - kissing her.

Suddenly the darkness was broken by a stream of bright light coming from behind her, from the house. "McKenzie?" Rhadamanthys called out from the front door of the home.

With a yelp, Kenzie swung around to see the man shadowed by light with his arms crossed to his chest. "Oh, hi!" Kenzie waved towards him.

"Come inside."

"In a moment, I just need to…" Her words went still in her throat when she turned back around to say goodnight to Valentine only to discover that he wasn't there. He was gone - vanished.

"No, McKenzie."

Frowning, she looked out to the darkness and muttered to herself, "He was just here."

"Kenzie!" Rhadamanthys barked with a slight growl to his voice. He didn't like to be kept waiting.

Taking a step back and then another, Kenzie frowned even more. Why would he just disappear like that? With a heavy sigh, she turned about heading towards the house and to where Rhadamanthys stood waiting for her. She could see the deep scowl upon his features as she climbed the steps and entered the magnificent home. The man followed her with his gaze then shut the door behind her. She was silent as he set the alarm. Rhadamanthys stepped past her only gifting her with a side glance. She shivered beneath his gaze as he then continued towards the grand staircase.

"I wasn't gone that long, was I?" she asked softly as she followed him up the stairs.

Wyvern didn't bother to look to her. "No. Beth was worried that you were gone for too long. You two have a busy day tomorrow."

Kenzie scrunched her features then sighed softly. "I'm not a kid anymore."

They turned the second floor landing only to step down a hallway. She felt guilty for making him get out of his bed to come and find her. She should've been back half an hour ago, but how could she have kept track of time when she was having such a wonderful time with Valentine? She sighed while dragging a hand down her features then up through her hair.

Hearing her sigh, Rhadamanthys paused outside the door to her room and turned to her with a blonde brow arched. "I am very aware that you are not a child, McKenzie. That does not mean, however, that your sister cannot be worried about you during your stay here." He offered a polite incline of his head to her. "Rest well."

Staring at his departing back, Kenzie sighed again then opened the door to her room. She stepped in, shut the door then went right to the massive bed where she fell face first on top. How could she be expected to sleep when the sensation of Valentine's lips still played  
>along hers in the form of an ethereal kiss?<p>

Flipping to her back, Kenzie stared up to the high decorative ceiling. She thought back to her short time spent with Valentine, to his words and to the kiss they shared. She couldn't get him out of her mind, even as minutes ticked on by. Kenzie ran her fingers over her lips and wished she could kiss him again, and again, and again.

With a giggle, she rolled over to hug one of the thick pillows tightly in her arms. She smiled to herself then closed her eyes to create dreams where Valentine would kiss her and kiss her till he left her breathless and wanting more.

He could see her from his perch upon the large Ash tree outside McKenzie's window. The moment Rhadamanthys had opened the door he disappeared into the shadows. Val waited till she was in her room when he appeared upon a thick branch just outside one of the windows. He reclined upon the branch and against the thick trunk of the tree with arms crossed against his chest and his intense eyes watching her fall asleep.

Though he couldn't be with her at the moment, he would watch over her during the night. He would make sure that nothing tormented her dreams this night, for this night the Harpy was hovering.

19


End file.
